Sealing-off apparatus



Dec. 7, 1937.

M. DE NEUMANN SEALING-OFF APPARATUS Filed Dec. 16, 1935 [NI EN T UR MCHAEL ZZE REL/MANN BY WW a? JMZ v 575 A 7" TOR NE Y o electro-magnet I 9.

Patented Dec. '5, E937 UNlTED STATES ZNLEGZB raram oi-" ica signor to General El ration of New York trio Company, a corpo- Application December 16, 1935, Serial No. 54m In Germany December 24, 1934 3 Claims.

5 my U. S. Patent No. 2,014,471, granted September One of the objects of the present invention is to provide apparatus for closing or sealing-off the vessel at substantially the instant at which the heated portion of the tube through which the vessel is exhausted and filled with a gas becomes so softened or plastic that it would burst under the internal pressure if not closed ofi. Further features and advantages of my invention will appear 1 from the following description of species thereof.

According to my invention, I make use of the incipient changeoi shape of the pump tube, caused bytheheating thereof and the internal pressure, to cause a tool to be operated to close 011 the said pump tube.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus comprising my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view; and Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the pinching or sealing-oil jaws.

Referring to the drawing, the apparatus illustrated consists broadly of three parts, namely, a projector, an amplifier, and a closing-0d device. The projection system consists of an electric lamp Ill, and light concentrating lenses II and I 2. The

30 said projection system and a photo-electric cell i3 serve for the optical delineation and objective detection of the outline of the glass pump tube It of an incandescent lamp i5 which is to be sealed ofi. As soon as this outline changes, due to the swelling up of the pump tube I when it becomes plastic under the heat of burners IS, the photoelectric cell energizes an amplifier ll, which may be a vacuum amplifier tube and is coupled to a vapor discharge tube l8. When the current (or 0 voltage) in the photo-electric cell is reduced below a predetermined value by the increased size of the shadow thereon due to the swelling of the .pump tube It, a discharge occurs in the vapor discharge tube l8, and an electro-magnet I9 01' 5 the closing-oil device is enegized. Then the exhaust tube II, which has become plastic and has just started to expand, is compressed, sealed oif and separated, all at the same time, by the action of jaws 2| which are actuated by the The anode current of the vapor discharge tube is then immediately cut oil by an automatic switch 22 and thus the jaws II are separated bya spring (not shown) to release (on. aa-ei the closed-on exhaust tube. After closing the switch 22 again, the apparatus is ready for closing another exhaust tube.

The amplification might be simplified by using an exhaust tube of colored or matte material so that the quantity 01 light falling on the light sensitive element when the exhaust tube changes shape is thereby increased.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus for sealing-0E a vessel containing a gas under pressure greater than atmospheric and provided with a vitreous tube connected to said vessel which comprises a pair of jaws, means for heating a portion of said tube to cause 15 it to become plastic and means actuated by the incipient change or shape of said tube due to the internal gas pressure for closing said jaws against the plastic tube to compress and close it.

2. An apparatus for sealing-01f a vessel con- 0 taining a gas under pressure greater than atmospheric and provided with a vitreoustube connected to said vessel which comprises a light source disposed at one side of said tube for projecting a light beampast said tube, a light-sensitive cell disposed on the opposite side of said tube in the path of said light beam so as to-intercept the shadow of said tube, a pair of jaws, means for heating a portion of said tube to cause it to become plastic and means actuated by said lightsensitive cell for closing said jaws against the plastic tube to compress and close it when the shadow of the tube thereon is increased in size due to the incipient change of shape thereof because of internal gas pressure. 3. An apparatus for sealing-on a vessel contain- .ing a gas under pressure greater than atmospheric and provided with a vitreous tube connected to said vessel which comprises a light source disposed at one side of said tubei'or projecting a 40 light beam past said tube, a, light-sensitive ceildisposed on the opposite side of said tube in the path of said light beam so as to intercept the shadow of said tube, a pair of jaws, means for heating a portion of said tube to cause it to become plastic and a solenoid disposed adjacent said jaws and actuated by said light-sensitive cell for closing said jaws against the plastic tube to compress and close it when the shadow of the tube thereon is increased insize due to the incipient change of shape thereof because of internal gas pressure.

MICHAEL on NEUMANN.

CERIIIFIGATE OF CORRECTION. I Patent No. 2,101,675- 4 December 7, 1937.

MICHAEL d6 NEUTIANN.

If is herebycertified thet error eppears in the printed specification of the aboYe numbered patent requiring correction-as fbi low a Page 1, first colw line +5) for "enegiz'ed readenergized; aa me page, 'aecondbolumn;

lines 1 5 and 7, for "exhaustf reed. pump} and line' 5, for "s1; exhaust" read-a pump; and that the said Letters lfatent 51 1 15, b read with phase corrections therein teat the game may conferm te the ,reecbrdmf .the case the Pat ent dffi-ce. Signed; sealed-ibis 8th"de.y of February, A, 1 1933 HeniyQVanJ-Uadale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner. oi Patents 

